A Designer’s Honest Michigan Flower Calendar
New year, new planning — and one question we field constantly is some version of “what is good right now?” After decades of designing in mid-Michigan, we have a running mental calendar of when flowers are at their finest and their fairest price, and when you are better off pivoting. This is our honest walk through the Michigan flower year, the way a designer actually sees it, so you can plan gatherings and gifts with the seasons instead of against them.
Spring: The Payoff for Winter
March through May is when Michigan exhales. Tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths lead the way, followed by ranunculus, anemones, and the first stock and snapdragons. Lilacs arrive in their brief May glory. This is a season of freshness and gentle color, and it is generally kind to the budget because so much is at natural peak. The one caution is timing: spring flowers move quickly, so a bloom that is perfect one week can be finished the next. If you are planning a spring event, build in flexibility and trust your florist to pivot to whatever is looking best when your date arrives.
Summer: Abundance and Value
June through August is arguably the best-value stretch of the whole year in Michigan. Peonies open the season, then the garden flowers pour in — sunflowers, zinnias, cosmos, hydrangeas, and a huge range of local material. Because so much is growing close to home, freshness is high and you get a lot of arrangement for your money. This is the season for loose, garden-style work and bold color. The only real enemy is heat, which shortens vase life, so summer flowers reward good care and cool spots away from windows. If you love abundance, summer is your season.
Fall: Texture and Warmth
September through November hands us some of the most characterful flowers of the year. Dahlias carry late summer into fall, joined by chrysanthemums, celosia, and rich seasonal color, plus branches, berries, and grasses that give arrangements real texture. Fall flowers tend to be sturdy and long-lasting, which makes them a smart value, and the palette suits Michigan perfectly as the leaves turn. This is prime centerpiece season, and Thanksgiving pulls a lot of that warmth onto our tables. It is one of our favorite times to design, because the material practically arranges itself.
Winter: Where the Money Goes
December through February is the honest hard part. Michigan grows almost nothing outdoors, so nearly everything is shipped in, and holiday demand around December pushes prices to their yearly high. This is when it pays to lean on greens, evergreens, amaryllis, and flowers that travel and last well. It is also when fresh flowers matter most emotionally — a bright arrangement in February is worth its weight. Our advice is simple: in winter, spend on impact and longevity rather than on out-of-season specialty blooms, and let us guide you toward what is genuinely fresh that week.
A Note From The Design Bench
We tell customers the same thing we tell ourselves: work with the Michigan calendar, not against it, and you will always get more beauty for your dollar. If you are ever unsure what is at its best, that is exactly the phone call we love to get. Ask us — we will tell you straight.
— The design team at Bentley Florist
Keep Exploring
Want this month's best flowers?
Call the shop and ask what is freshest — or order anytime at bentleyflorist.com.
